Ms. Superpark 2014 Day 2 – Photos and Recap

If one area of Mammoth’s Main Park could embody the entire vibe of Day 2 at Ms. Superpark, it would be the pondskim that emerged midday near the entrance to the park. Kelly Underwood, Hana Beaman, Robin Van Gyn and Ashley Thornton lead with some lean-backs over the water and the rampant excitement surged like a tidal wave down the rest of Main Park. With perfect Mammoth blue skies, the second day of Ms. was all hot-and-sunny-slushy-snow-and-tons-of-laps-from-nine-‘til-four. It was party boardin’ at its best, though don’t think that when these riders are having a blast they aren’t stacking heavy shots the whole time, too.

The jumpline was alight all day as almost the entire Ms. Superpark roster rolled through at least once. The rails saw plenty of play as well. Madison Blackley has a plethora of classic grabs and tweaks at her disposal and was showcasing textbook style on the pole jam and flat down. Other standouts include Isabella Borriello, Laura Rogoski, and Megumi Suzuki.

Lower in the park, Kaleah Driscoll was taking the lines less traveled and found a sizable gap off of the table of the second jump. Amanda Hankison, Corinne Pasela, and some SLC cronies have been stacking footage for a side-hits-and-tranny-finders-only edit. Stay tuned.

At 5pm, over two dozen women gathered below the Main Lodge deck and hopped on Unbound Park Crew snowmobiles once again for rides to the top of the jump section. The second of three Mammoth jumps, built with archetypal Unbound attention to detail and transition, was to be sessioned as the sun receded behind the mountains guarding the horizon. Kjersti Buaas, Sarka Pancochova, Danika Duffy, Maddy Schaffrick, Kaitlyn Farrington, Stefi Luxton, Faye Gulini, Christy Prior, and more dropped in and lofted airs over the jump, showcasing a myriad of spins and poked out grabs.

Once the sun began to sip below the Minarets, the sky exploded into red and orange hued clouds. By this time, many of the riders had headed off hill, content with stacked shots and ready to recoup for the next day’s riding. The snowmobiles kept coursing uphill, though, with Spencer O’Brien, Karly Shorr, Hailey Langland, Chloe Kim, and Kumara Kelley in tow. As the light slipped away and flashbulbs popped on the deck of the jump, the run in to the jump began to harden, but there wasn’t one drop from any of these women that let on to even subtle changes in conditions. They kept riding—throwing down—until snowcats ready to groom Main Park for Day 3 of Ms. Superpark clamored in the pitch black darkness to be let on hill.

Day 2 once again saw heaps of action, so much that it’s impossible for only one person to recall all of the highlights. So, today, we turn to another woman to pen her impressions of the event thus far. Taylor Godber is a Whistler-based snowboarder who writes for 33Mag. This year is her third time at Ms. Superpark. Enjoy her perspective on this year’s event.

– Mary Walsh

An invitational of a bunch of damsels in tank tops, knuckling jumps, doing ugly methods, speed checking ten times before the feature, screaming in the air, and suntanning in bathing suits. While this sexy action sports illusion could be a great pitch for a new reality TV show (add in some more nudity and alcohol), it must be dismissed.

While reviewing the submission it has become obvious that a considerable amount of thought and fine detail has gone into the close-minded vision that is “women’s snowboarding.” I am happy to announce that this pilot must be crumpled up and thrown into the closest recycling bin, along with the accompanying egos. But, duh! You already knew that.

It would be a lie to say that the girls didn’t “dump em out,” just in a much different context, breasts aside. It was more in the following frame of reference: powering through deep landings on the jumps, straightlining into the hip, getting technical on the rails, and collectively propelling the sport in the right direction.

Mammoth put together a park that flows and allows for performance development. A myriad of combos with a chairlift that lets you watch the action. A set up that gives the opportunity to wax it, point it, and pray, and to move up step-by-step. Genius!

Undeniably some of the best riders within the sport are here. Household names, some seen making history during the Olympics and others in the magazines hitting hand rails or dropping cliffs. All continuously raising the bar they have set.

Enter the newbies. Amateurs? Up and comers? Yes, they do exist. While amidst the narrowing of marketing for many of the next generation with lower budgets and team cuts, this event has gone to prove that there are some chicks to be watching. Girls that are paying their way, committed to progression, and who really, truly have a passion for the sport.

Take that into account while devising your take on women’s snowboarding. It could be better classified as a super hero comic. Just saying.